Disclosure: Your support helps keep our site running! We earn referral fees for some of the products & services we recommend. Learn more

How to Stream Out-of-Market Games With NBA League Pass Online Without Cable

Last Updated:

If you are a basketball fan, NBA League Pass is a great deal because it allows you to watch all out-of-market games for the entire regular season — that’s over a thousand live games per season. Read on to learn everything you need to know to watch without a cable subscription!

In a hurry? You can get NBA League Pass directly but normally, you will want to pair it with a live TV streaming service in order to get all the nationally televised (including playoff) games. Here are our favorites:

  • Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 130+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service free for 7 days.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
  • Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.

Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that covers this sport. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the content you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

ExpressVPN
  1. ExpressVPN: Known as “The VPN that just works,” it combines remarkable ease of use with with state-of-the-art power, speed, security, and privacy. Get three extra free months when you sign up for a year. Unleash your streaming with this top-rated VPN.
Sign Up Now
Surfshark
  1. Surfshark: Surfshark: Secure and easy to use with thousands of servers around the world. Of special note is its excellent collection of servers inside the US, which is great for regional sports lie NFL, MLB, and NBA. Get it now with an incredible 82% discount on a 24-month plan.
Sign Up Now
NordVPN
  1. NordVPN: One of the top VPNs with extremely fast servers all over the world. Great for streaming with tested perfomance on the biggest servers and included ad-blocking. Currently offering 70% discount on 2-year plans.
Sign Up Now

If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

Are you interested in watching every NBA game possible? Or do you solely care about your team and are located outside of its local area? In either case, NBA League Pass may be just what you are looking for as it provides you with access to a tremendous number and variety of live games.

For those in the United States and Canada, it offers a way to stream all NBA matchups that are not telecast nationally and are not played by teams local to your area. Meanwhile, fans who are located outside those two countries can, in nearly all cases, watch all games with no blackout restrictions whatsoever.

The annual cost of NBA League Pass for those in the US varies, depending on what point of the season it is, as it is gradually reduced in price as time passes.

For example, on Feb 1, 2022, past the 2021-22 campaign’s midway point, that price was $49.99 while its monthly cost then was just $14.99. Conversely, prior to that season’s start, those respective prices were $199.99 and $28.99.

The point is to use these listed prices as ballpark figures as the current prices can change throughout the season. We will update this article as information becomes available.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Tyreke Evans - New Orleans Pelicans
Pelicans at Wizards by Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0.

2022 NBA Season Schedule Overview

NBA League Pass is only available for the regular season. The preseason and playoff games are not included.

  • NBA Preseason: September 30th – October 14th
  • NBA Regular Season: October 18th – April 9th
  • NBA Playoffs: April 16th – June 18th

NBA League Pass Details

The most important thing that those based in the US and Canada should note when considering whether or not to get NBA League Pass is which games are considered out-of-market. You will only be able to see the games that are not blacked out to you.

Nationally broadcast games are blacked out to all NBA League Pass subscribers. These include contests shown on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV in the US. And Sportsnet and TSN in Canada.

As a result of that restriction, you will not be able to watch any All-Star Weekend-related activities, the NBA Play-In Tournament, or any NBA playoff games through this service. Instead, you need to secure access to whichever channel is showing your game of interest through other means.

Note that since all Toronto Raptors games are available with national broadcasts in Canada, on Sportsnet and TSN, NBA League Pass is not an option for Raptors fans who live north of the border.

The blackout policy gets much more complicated when considering which team(s) a fan is blacked out for those in the US.

Fortunately, the NBA’s website has a useful zip code tool where you can insert your zip code or any zip codes where you expect to be in the future and see which teams, if any, you are blacked out from.

As for an “if any” example, if you are in Alaska, you are not blacked out from any teams. However, it is a different situation for those in Hawaii as subscribers there are blacked out from the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings although, interestingly, not the Golden State Warriors.

Do note that, in addition to in Hawaii, blackout regions can sometimes extend great distances from a team’s home arena. For example, those in Glendive, MT, are blacked out from watching Utah Jazz games through this service.

However, you do get to receive the local radio broadcasts for all live games through NBA League Pass, so if you are interested in a game that is blacked out to you, you are not completely shut out from following the action live.

NBA basketball fans based outside of the US and Canada can, with few exceptions, watch games with an NBA League Pass subscription. This includes those on national television in the US or Canada or on local television where the subscriber is.

However, basketball fans located in Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria are not allowed to subscribe to NBA League Pass.

For those in the US and Canada, you can watch any games that have been blacked out due to being broadcast nationally on-demand three hours later and any games blacked out locally three days later.

NBA League Pass Plans

Before we dive into the plans, keep in mind that these prices can fluctuate significantly throughout the season. This is even true of the monthly rates at times. Also note that a seven-day free trial is usually offered.

All prices mentioned below are for those based in the US unless otherwise noted. If you are not located in the US, make sure to check the prices for where you are as they can be significantly different.

The good news is that NBA League Pass prices are about half what they were last season. It’s not clear whether this will be the case all season long, but it appears to be.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

NBA League Pass + NBA TV

This is the plan that most think of when NBA League Pass comes to mind. It features all games not blacked out nationally or locally. Its cost at the start of the 2022-23 season is $99.99/yr or $14.99/mo. (This is half the cost it was last year, but this appears to be the new price — it is also the price when purchased through a live TV streaming service.)

Included are local radio broadcasts, great to still keep up to date on blacked-out games or if you simply want to follow a contest without needing to settle down and watch it. It also provides access to replays of every game, including 10-minute condensed versions, and NBA Finals games from the past 20 years.

Access to NBA TV is included as well, but note that this will not help you watch local teams play as their games are blacked out on NBA TV as well. The intent is that you will watch that simulcasted broadcast through the relevant local broadcaster. (For this, we recommend DIRECTV STREAM since they offer these channels for all the teams.)

NBA League Pass Premium + NBA TV

The premium package is the same as the standard package with two significant additional benefits. One is the lack of commercials, which greatly improves the viewing experience for most. Another is that you can watch games simultaneously on two separate devices.

For the 2022-23 season, this cost is $129.99/yr and $19.99/mo.

NBA Team Pass

If you are solely interested in one team, the NBA Team Pass may be for you as it provides access to just your chosen team. Note that home and away broadcasts are still available, so if you are a fan of a team but dislike its local broadcasters, you can instead watch the opponent’s broadcasts every game.

Also, all blackout restrictions still apply, so this will not work for you if you are a Nets fan in Brooklyn. Plus, keep in mind that NBA TV is not included with this and that games on NBA TV are blacked out.

The price for this plan at the start of the 2022-23 season was $13.99/mo or $89.99/yr. For almost all fans, the full League Pass is a better deal.

NBA TV

The NBA League Pass standard package includes NBA TV. But if you simply want to watch NBA TV and the variety of games that it broadcasts that are not blacked out for you locally, this plan is for you. It is $59.99/yr (last year’s $6.99/mo option seems to be gone). At that price, it makes more sense to get League Pass.

Note that this plan is not available internationally — not even Canada.

NBA League Pass Audio

If you would like to enjoy a much more affordable option that has no blackouts whatsoever and do not mind not being able to watch the games, NBA League Pass Audio is for you. It provides access to all radio broadcasts for every contest. Its cost is $9.99/yr, and it does not appear that it fluctuates at all.

This plan is also not available outside of the US.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

NBA 3-Game Choice

The NBA 3-Game Choice plan is only available internationally — including subscribers in Canada. It offers access to the live streams for three games in any given month, which are chosen by the subscriber.

Do note that, as with all of these plans, prices can fluctuate from country to country. For example, those in Canada would pay, as of Feb 1, 2022, $19.99/yr or $2.99/mo for this plan while NBA fans who are instead in Albania would pay lower rates for it: $14.99/yr or $1.99/mo.

Detroit Pistons Tobias Harris
Cropped from Tobias Harris by Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0.

NBA League Pass With Live TV Streaming

The only way for those based in the US to get complete NBA coverage is to combine NBA League Pass with securing access to ABC, TNT, and ESPN through other means. For cord-cutters, this mostly means a streaming service. A few of these incorporate NBA League Pass into the services.

Plus, keep in mind that some of those that do incorporate it offer free previews of this plan. For example, Sling TV and DIRECTV STREAM both did so at the start of the 2021-22 season, through Oct 26.

FuboTV

fubotv logo

The base FuboTV plan offers well over 100 channels for $74.99/mo. You can add NBA League Pass for $14.99/mo extra.

However, one significant hole in FuboTV’s channel lineup is the absence of TBS, which will air most of the American League playoff games. This will also cause you to miss out on a few regular season games every season.

However, you would be able to access all NBA games that are being broadcast on ABC and ESPN. With that said, NBA TV would be extra, necessitating getting its Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on ($10.99/mo) or its Fubo Extra add-on ($7.99/mo) to secure access to NBA TV-broadcast games as well.

FuboTV also offers the RSNs for a number of teams if you live in their broadcasting areas: Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, and Portland Trail Blazers.

Finally, FuboTV provides 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to ten devices at the same time.

Our FuboTV review has more.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) includes, for an additional price, access to NBA League Pass Premium. But most fans would not go with DIRECTV STREAM just for NBA League Pass.

The main reason to get DIRECTV STREAM is because it is the king of RSNs. DIRECTV STREAM provides local coverage of every NBA team except for the Philadelphia 76ers. No other live TV streaming service comes close.

To get access to your local NBA team’s games, you will need to get the DIRECTV STREAM Choice package for $99.99/mo. Along with it, you get over 100 other channels including ABC, ESPN, Fox, and TBS.

All DIRECTV STREAM plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and unlimited streaming devices. Get the details in our DIRECTV STREAM review.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days

Sling TV

Sling TV Logo (2021 100x50)

Sling TV is the lowest-cost option to combine NBA League Pass with a live TV streaming service. The base Sling plans cost $40.00/mo and feature between 30 and 40 channels. NBA League Pass is an add-on.

Sling Blue is oriented around NBC and Fox channels but includes others like MLB Network. Sling Orange is focused on ESPN but notably includes Disney Channel. Both plans provide 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. Blue allows you to stream on up to 3 devices at once but Orange is limited to a single stream. You can also combine the plans for $55.00/mo.

Sling TV is also the best streaming service in terms of customizability. It has a number of add-on collections like the Sports Extra add-on, which includes NBA TV. And it includes a long of single-channel add-ons.

See our Sling TV review for more information, or go directly to our guides to watching the NBA Play-In, Playoffs, and Conference Semifinals.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

YouTube TV

youtube tv

You can get either an annual or a monthly subscription to NBA League Pass through YouTube TV ($72.99/mo). However, do keep in mind that you cannot take this annual pass outside of YouTube TV. If you cancel YouTube TV during that season, you will also lose access to those NBA League Pass games.

Otherwise, note that access to ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV is included with a YouTube TV subscription.

Others

You can also secure access to NBA League Pass through Amazon Prime and Yahoo Sports. Try it with a free 30-day trial.

Note that if you are still using a cable or satellite TV provider, you can also get NBA League Pass with providers like DIRECTV Satellite.

Streaming Devices for NBA League Pass

Regardless of whether you get NBA League Pass alone (using the NBA app) or through a live TV streaming service (using its app), you will be able to watch on most devices. The standalone system supports the following devices:

  • Amazon Fire Tablet
  • Amazon Fire TV
  • Android mobile
  • Android TV
  • Apple TV
  • Chromecast
  • Hisense
  • iOS (iPhone, iPad)
  • Oculus
  • PlayStation 4
  • Roku
  • Web Browser
  • Xbox One, Series X
  • Xfinity Flex.

The live TV services support roughly the same devices. None, however, support the PlayStation. DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t provide support for Fire Tablet, Android TV, Hisense, Oculus, Xbox, or Xfinity devices. But it does support Samsung smart TVs.

Fubo doesn’t support the Oculus or Xfinity devices. But it does support LG, Samsung, and VIZIO smart TVs.

Sling doesn’t support the Hisense. But it does support AirTV, Google Nest, LG, Portal, TiVo Stream, and VIZIO devices.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Wrapping Up

NBA League Pass can be a tremendous option for watching basketball games. However, do keep in mind its limitations, particularly its national and local blackout policies.

Also, take into account which regional sports networks you have access to and how that affects this. DIRECTV STREAM offers all of them except in Philadelphia. Plus, consider that any time your favorite team plays a local one, those games will be blacked out too.

Another thing to make a note of is any autorenewal that may occur. This policy will vary, depending on if you are securing NBA League Pass through a streaming service or on its own. However, if you are getting it from NBA.com, season- and month-long subscriptions will be auto-renewed unless opted out of.

FAQs

Does Hulu offer NBA League Pass?

Neither Hulu (on-demand) or Hulu + Live TV offer NBA League Pass as an add-on. Nor is NBA TV available. Of course, you can get them both directly. It just means that you will have to switch between apps. If you want it integrated, check out DIRECTV STREAM, FuboTV, or YouTube TV.

How can I watch my local NBA teams’ games?

You cannot watch your local team with NBA League Pass. For games featuring your local team, you must watch the few that are broadcast nationally. And for the rest, you will need access to your local RSNs like the those in the Bally Sports, NBC Sports, and AT&T SportsNet sports channels. See our NBA Viewer’s Guide for a complete list.

How do I watch individual teams?

You can also get NBA Team Pass, which only features the games of a single team. It is only slightly less expensive than the full plan, so it may not be worth it. If you want general information on watch a specific team without cable, see our individual pages:

AtlanticPacificCentralSWSENW
Boston CelticsGolden State WarriorsChicago BullsDallas MavericksAtlanta HawksDenver Nuggets
Brooklyn NetsLos Angeles ClippersCleveland CavaliersHouston RocketsCharlotte HornetsMinnesota Timberwolves
New York KnicksLos Angeles LakersDetroit PistonsMemphis GrizzliesMiami HeatOklahoma City Thunder
Philadelphia 76ersPhoenix SunsIndiana PacersNew Orleans PelicansOrlando MagicPortland Trail Blazers
Toronto RaptorsSacramento KingsMilwaukee BucksSan Antonio SpursWashington WizardsUtah Jazz

Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut the Cord

  1. Pick the right streaming service
  2. Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
  3. Supercharge your internet provider

That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!

Page Updates

  1. Added a few links.

  2. Updated some sub-sections. Updated some section headings. Image changes.

  3. Image changes. More links.

  4. Added FAQ section. Added streaming info. Pricing updates. Linking. Reworded some things.

  5. Added buttons for streaming services. Added some links. Reworded some things.

  6. Updated some sub-sections. Image changes. Cross linking.

  7. Additional links. Changes to sections. Reworded some things.

Follow me
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap